Blue Jays “Highly Unlikely” To Trade J.A. Happ

The Blue Jays are receiving interest from the Brewers and other teams in left-hander J.A. Happ, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reports (Twitterlinks), though it is “highly unlikely” that the Jays will trade the southpaw since Toronto plans to compete in 2018.

Milwaukee has been aggressive in pursuing deadline upgrades, as the team has been linked to such names as Sonny Gray, Brad Hand and (the since-traded) Jose Quintana in recent days. GM David Stearns recently stated that his club’s strong preference is to obtain players who are under contract beyond just this season, and Happ fits that bill, owed $13MM in 2018 as well as roughly $4.7MM remaining on his 2017 salary. While a controllable pitcher of Happ’s ability is naturally of interest to many teams in general, Rosenthal notes that teams are particularly looking at Happ in part because this winter’s free agent class is thin on front-of-the-rotation starters.

Happ was seen as more of a reliable innings-eater than as a possible ace when he signed a three-year, $36MM deal with Toronto in the 2015-16 offseason, though the left-handed enjoyed the best season of his 11-year career in 2016, posting a 3.18 ERA over 195 innings and finishing sixth in the AL Cy Young Award voting. Elbow inflammation has limited to Happ to just 11 starts and 61 innings this year, though he has been on pace for even better numbers than in 2016, delivering a 3.54 ERA, 8.9 K/9 and 4.29 K/BB rate.

Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro suggested earlier this month that the Jays weren’t planning a major sell-off at the deadline, nor were they going to pursue rental players in an attempt at a postseason berth that is looking increasingly unlikely (the Jays took a 42-48 record into action today). Recent reports suggest that Toronto will be open to moving pending free agents like Joe Smith, Marco Estrada, Francisco Liriano or J.P. Howell, but perhaps not any notable pieces who are under contract beyond this season.

Comments

Honestly, the Jays already won the original Liriano trade so they might as well just cut bait and use Luis Santos or something.
Makes no sense that they aren’t trading Happ. 35 year old pitchers who are beginning to have injury issues don’t typically increase in value. Eat some cash and get something for him.

But the Jays might not make the playoffs last year if it weren’t for Liriano. There’s no way there packaging anything with him to trade this year. They should be acquiring bad contracts with prospects, not sending them out.

I’m not sure the Jays have a plan. They might if the plan is let’s be fearful and not do anything significant, we won’t win anything in the foreseeable future, we’ll be longterm competative, and we’ll sell tickets.

Mediocrity, no thanks. Rebuild and do it right. The transition away from AA’s team core, to Shapiro and company’s, is inevitable. I think the Jays are posturing – good move. Though, I can appreciate your wary instincts.

There should be a number of teams interested in Happ and the Jays should listen. The fact that he would cost less than a Sonny Gray is very interesting. The Indians desperately need post season depth behind Kluber and Carrasco. Clevenger has pitching nicely but is unproven. Tomlin, Bauer and Salazar have been time bombs waiting to go off. With Carlos Santana unlikely to be resigned, Happ’s salary could slot right there for 2018. And it wouldn’t cost them Mejia or McKenzie.

If they don’t trade him, Pearce, and Donaldson, they better make some splashes in the offseason if they still want to contend. This team as of right now is the definition of mediocre. It’s not good enough to compete and not bad enough to get high draft picks.

No pitching ready in the minors is a reason to trade the farm to win now or to trade some big mlb pieces like others teams did last year and fill up the upper minors with elite prospects. Pick one or the other, but doing little or nothing seems like a fearful, wasting time strategy. That wasting time strategy will sell tickets shorter term even if the team is crappy and that is the challenge. Because the seats are full, the Jays mgmt is not motivated to make some big deals to improve the club now. This town likes a winner, not just a competitor and when the rogers centre starts to empty out, the message will be clear to make some moves to win. So let’s vote with how we buy tickets, and don’t and force mgmt to step up to bring in quality players now.

Seems like everyone can agree that the Jays are in limbo, they can’t afford to rebuild and can’t afford to compete. Starting pitchers aren’t getting any cheaper, doesn’t make sense to trade a guy we know can gobble up innings when they probably would only get a mediocre prospect in return

Maybe but this is his first actually really good year. Same with Anderson. Saying Happ isn’t an upgrade on your major league talent is wrong. Saying he’s not an upgrade on your minor league talent is insane.

They should trade Donaldson to the Cardinals already…they could get Kelly, #1 catching prospect in baseball, weaver, great pitcher and ranked in the top 100 prospects list…and to be honest Wong who is a great second basemen…everything the Jays need for Donaldson…don’t the Jays have an upcoming third baseman?

Trading Happ is a no-brainer, but, IMO, so is dealing Osuna. The market for good relievers is still like the Toronto housing market. Best cash in before it crashes. Deal Osuna and reap a ransom in return.
As for people talking about dealing Donaldson, why would you deal him at his lowest value???? Hold on to him, if he has a hot second half, then, if you want to go into full rebuilding mode, which they should, then you deal him.

Jays should be going all out rebuild right now. Shaprio is trying to sell Kool-Aid that they can still contend. They won’t cotend for years unless major upgrades are made. This is getting to be a joke. Barring Injury, Osuna will be good for many, many years. He is young and controllable. I would only trade him if they could get a kings ransom haul. Trade everyone else except Stroman and Pillar.